When R.H. Norman packed his truck and left Gainesville for Los Angeles, he didn’t have a clear road map — just a camera and a lifelong love of movies.
More than a decade later, that leap of faith led him to co-direct “Home Haunt,” a segment in the anthology film “V/H/S Halloween,” alongside his wife and creative partner, Micheline Pitt-Norman.
“V/H/S Halloween” is the latest installment in the long-running “V/H/S” anthology horror franchise, known for its found-footage style and mix of emerging and established genre directors. Since the series’ debut in 2012, it has developed a cult following for its inventive storytelling and nostalgic throwback scares. The newest entry premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 19, before its streaming debut on Shudder on Oct. 3.
The couple’s segment in the film, titled “Home Haunt,” grew out of their lifelong connection to Halloween and the creative community that surrounds it.
They met Josh Goldbloom, one of the “V/H/S Halloween” producers, through mutual friends. After telling Goldbloom of their love for Halloween, he asked the couple to make a pitch on the movie, Pitt said.
For Norman, those roots go back to his childhood in Florida. Growing up in Lakeland, he spent countless October nights at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, where the elaborate haunted houses left a lasting impression.
Meanwhile, Pitt’s background in haunted attractions gave her a hands-on perspective. Before her film career, she worked at Netherworld, the large-scale Atlanta haunted house known for its elaborate sets and creature design.
The couple’s shared enthusiasm naturally shaped the short. They imagined a story about a father-son duo whose elaborate Halloween setup spirals into chaos — a concept directly inspired by Oscar award-winning makeup artist Rick Baker, who not only has a cameo in the film but also serves as its creative muse.
Baker, known for his work on films like “An American Werewolf in London” and “Men in Black,” hosts intricate Halloween displays at his home in Burbank, California.
“We thought, well, what if Rick accidentally killed half of Burbank with his haunt base,” Norman said. “That idea turned into ‘Home Haunt.’”
The film’s antagonist, a green-skinned witch, came from traditional Halloween imagery. Pitt noted that in American pop culture, witches are often depicted in green on decorations and costumes, but that look rarely appears in modern horror films. She and Norman wanted to incorporate the familiar color to honor the classic visual language of the holiday.
Pitt handled much of the costuming and design work.
“I think fashion is the same kind of storytelling that we tell with film,” Pitt said. “It’s about building worlds with fabric and photoshoots.”
Norman’s screenwriting takes an unusual source of inspiration: his UF philosophy classes. He graduated from the university in 2013 with a bachelor’s in philosophy and a concentration in film studies. While studying in Gainesville, he made short films and met collaborators who would later work with him professionally.
“The philosophy department at UF focused on clear writing,” Norman said. “It taught me more about screenwriting than anything else, because screenwriting requires a heavy use of simplicity and clear expression of ideas.”
After finishing his degree, Norman relocated to California to work in film production. He spent his early years on set gaining experience across multiple independent projects, which eventually led to working under filmmaker Werner Herzog during a shoot in Cuba.
Norman met his wife and co-director, Pitt, through the dating platform OKCupid about 10 years ago in California. He had an easter egg to one of Pitt’s favorite films, “The Spirit,” in his profile.
“That’s how our conversation started,” Pitt said. “And our love of movies and genre movies.”
Pitt has a background in animation, special effects and design. She previously worked at makeup brand MAC Cosmetics, and she’s also founded her own clothing brand, Vixen by Micheline Pitt.
The two married in 2017 and began directing together, blending their individual strengths into a unified creative process. On set, they work side-by-side through every stage of production, from storyboarding to editing.
“I like to think of us as a hydra,” Pitt said. “We are always in constant communication and supporting each other.”
Their collaboration is rooted in mutual trust and a clear division of responsibilities that plays to each partner’s expertise. Norman oversees much of the technical side of production, including cinematography and editing, while Pitt focuses on visual design, wardrobe and practical effects.
The two describe their approach as intuitive — each anticipating the other’s creative instincts. Pitt often builds the film’s visual identity, while Norman ensures that tone and pacing align with their shared vision.
Together, the couple channel their creative strengths into a partnership built on communication and trust — one that shapes not only how they make films, but how they run their sets. Their working relationship also shapes how they bring those ideas to life. Their publicist Aaron Marion said collaboration extends beyond creative choices.
“In filmmaking, especially in horror, it really matters who you’re working with,” Marion said. “R.H. and Micheline do a fantastic job at keeping all of their crew and cast happy.”
The Normans are currently in pre-production on a feature film titled “Cosmetic,” produced by James Wan and Ingrid Bisu (another husband-wife duo) under Atomic Monster and Blumhouse Productions. The project expands on the themes they’ve been exploring — beauty, horror and transformation — on a larger scale.
For Norman, it also marks another milestone in a career that started in Gainesville classrooms and student film sets. The same curiosity that drove his early shorts now fuels his professional projects, and he encourages UF students to keep that momentum alive as they carve out their own paths in film.
“My best piece of advice is to not let your work end at class,” Norman said. “There’s a lot of talented kids there, and you guys should be working together.”
Contact Aaliyah Evertz at aevertz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @aaliyahevertz1.
Aaliyah is a general assignment reporter for The Avenue. She's a second-year journalism student in her first semester at The Alligator. In her free time, she loves to bake, read and also write for Her Campus UFL.
